Wesley's Lane

One of my Favorite Places to Paint

There is a little lane with cottages backed up to it, that runs along a park-like area where there once was a railroad bed.  On the front side of the cottages is the Bay.  I love it here.  I love the back doors and casual porches and the roof lines of the years worth of additions on each cottage.  There is no pretense here, just  some beautiful window boxes and laundry on the clotheslines.  If you stepped out of your time machine onto this lane, you wouldn't know where in history you are.  Well, yeah  -  the cars.

I'm catching up a little on sketchbook posting and am sitting on the back porch watching the humming birds. They come to the trumpet vine and phlox that are right by the back door.

This morning there was a six inch slug sliming his way around the porch.  I opened the back door into the garden, hoping he'd find his way out.  He didn't.  My hero/husband came to the rescue.  The slugs are just too big and icky to squash.  My husband has been known to take them on a shovel and dump them in the middle of the street, hoping they will get run over before they find their way back home.  I suppose we'll hear from some animal rights activists about this?  I guess it is more humane to let them drown in a saucer of beer.  Except the big ones don't drown  -  they just drink their fill and stagger away.  Ick.  They make me shiver!

Cosmos

A Little Bouquet of Cosmos, Asters, and Ageratum

Because I carry my sketchbook around with me I use it to store information like most people use their electronic devices. There is no "delete" in my sketchbook, so I glued some Aquarius II watercolor paper over some information that I didn't need anymore.  I hope I didn't need anymore.

The drawing on the left was done with a Pentel Sign pen, which is water soluble. The one on the right was drawn with a sepia Prismacolor colored pencil, which is not water soluble, and then I painted over the pencil with watercolor.

Someone in class today had a Tombow brush pen.  Now, of course, I think I have to have one of those. It was sepia and had a brush pen at one end and a regular pointy nib at the other.  She was doing some absolutely beautiful drawings with it.  Oh, wait.  Maybe it was her talent and not the pen that was making that magic.   Anyway, Beverly, if you're reading this, those were wonderful drawings!

Planning a Painting

Value Studies and Composition

In my classes this week we talked a lot about composition and values (lights and darks).  I'm trying to get across the idea of starting out with very simple shapes in the planning process.  If we get all invested in the drawing at that stage, we are not going to have the time or the inclination to start over if that's not the one that works.  And often, the first one is NOT the one that works.  There are so many possibilities to try, and it takes a lot less time to do sketches that don't work than paintings that don't work.

I find the planning part of the process a lot of fun.  I like getting all comfy with a cup of tea, a glass of wine, or a bag of potato chips and just playing around with those shapes and values.

The cherry tomatoes were in our CSA share this week.   I drew them with a Pentel Sign Pen that my friend Cathy gave me.  It is a felt tip pen with water soluble ink.  I'm going to have to look around and see where to buy these, because I think I'm going to use it up real fast. The ink seems to move a little better than a Flair.

I am so easily influenced  -  I saw a sketch someone had done with a bamboo pen, so I ordered one of those.  I'm hoping I can use it with watercolor, but I don't have a clue.  Does anyone know anything about bamboo pens?

Terrace Inn Tea

Strawberries and Devonshire Cream

This is a little sketch done in Prismacolor pencil and watercolor on Zerkall Frankfurt Cream paper.  The paper sounds good enough to eat, doesn't it?  It is not watercolor paper, and it does buckle, but I kind of like it anyway.

I did this at my second annual Terrace Inn Afternoon Tea.  Twenty-one ladies attended and they all brought their watercolor journals and small paint kits.  Their paintings were wonderful!  We spent the afternoon in the beautiful dining room (linen tablecloths and watercolors do mix after all) painting in our journals, compairing supplies, and catching up.  We painted a little before we started eating and then everyone painted between bites.

The very fact that the Inn lets us paint at the tables set with linen says it all. The whole staff is gracious, accommodating, and creative.


I love the idea of getting past, present, and future students together, and it's so much fun to discover new techniques, find out where to pick up new materials, and just to share some time with people with sketchbooks in common.

Thanks to all who attended!!!  I'm looking forward to next year already.

Old Birch Tree

Demonstration on Aquarius II Paper in my Sketchbook

This little watercolor sketch was done in last week's journal class.  It was done to demonstrate mixing grays on the paper (the tree) and using negative spaces to pop out white objects (the daisies).

We had a perfect week for outdoor journal painting.  This week we're getting some of that Midwest heat wave. If I had a journal class, it could get a little uncomfortable being out in the heat for four afternoons.  But  -  I don't.  I just have some morning classes and that should be okay.  This morning I have nothing!  In fact the only thing on my calendar for today was "no art in the park meeting".  How often do we have a minus on our calendars?!  Of course my to-do list is pretty long for the week  -  isn't everyone's?  The first thing is to shovel out the house and hose it down. Kidding (kind of). I have art supplies on every surface, and the dust bunnies are taking over.  I am really kind of looking forward to reclaiming our space  -  a little puttering is good for the soul.  I am not even turning on any music  -  just listening to the neighborhood sounds.

The biggest problem is that when I start picking up art supplies and putting them away,  I want to stop and play with them. A few minutes couldn't hurt, could it?

What are you sketching this week?

Beets

Chioggia Beets

These beets really and truly are bright pink with light green leaves.  I haven't cut into them yet, but I understand they are pink and white striped.

We have subscribed to a Consumer Supported Agriculture (CSA) share for the season.  We go to the farm and pick up our share (we subscribe to a half share) each Tuesday, getting a beautifully arranged box of whatever produce is ready that week.  I am having a lot of fun figuring out what to do with everything.  The cat got quite sick from eating the fennel greens, but that was his choice.

A couple of our granddaughters were here last weekend, and we were having a great time chopping, tasting, and looking at the pretty colors.  We made a beautiful big salad, and when I went to dish it up, they said in unison, "Oh, we don't eat salad - yuk." 

It has been a busy and fun week  -  seven classes Monday through Thursday.  Wonderful people in every class, and beautiful weather!  Who could ask for more!?

Summer Sketching

That Blue Pencil Again

I'm having a great time sketching with a blue pencil, as I mentioned in my previous post.  The watercolor sketch on the left was first drawn with a blue Prismacolor pencil, the little contour drawing on the right was done with a Gellyroll pen, and the lettering across the top was done with watercolor in a pen nib - B5.

I am teaching an outdoor watercolor journal class starting this afternoon, and right now it is getting darker by the minute.  WHY WHY WHY does this keep happening to me!? A watercolor journal class is supposed to be outdoors!!!!  I don't even have a room to go into.  I'm not completely stupid  -  I do know rain happens ( do I ever know it), so we  have a porch we can go to for shelter.  I just don't want to.

Here it is Monday already.  I have a very busy week ahead - two watercolor classes, four afternoons of watercolor journal, and a morning with a private group.  I am not complaining  -  I love this!

4th of July Etc.

Pages in my Journal

I didn't get as ambitious with my weekend sketching as I intended, but a couple of two-inch sketches is better than nothing.

We had a nice 4th of July weekend.  We did, however, run out of gas about midnight in the north woods - the gauge didn't work, and that's the truth.  My big brother came to our rescue as he has done for years and years.  I told the grandkids as they were beginning to panic a little, "If you don't have a little adventure, there's no reason to leave the house."  My husband and the kids were in a parade in the morning, and then the kids were in another parade in the afternoon.  After all that walking and sunshine, we LISTENED to the fireworks from the comfort of our own bed.

The journal page on the right is this morning's demonstration using a blue prismacolor pencil for the contour drawing.  I like the look, but I can't take credit for it.  I read about it in Cathy Johnson's new book Artist's Journal Workshop. The class met at a park on the Bay, and it was sunny and breezy.  I think it was the first morning I haven't had to worry about a class meeting in the rain or cold.

Now I have a painting to finish, frame, and deliver, and then we'll meet some friends at the waterfront for a picnic.  Summer in Northern Michigan!

White Geranium

White Geranium Demonstration

This is a journal page done in last week's Watercolor Sketchbook Journal class.  It was to done to show how to make the white blossoms stand out by painting a simple background color.  The petals were also kept simple with just a few shadows.

Yesterday's quirky weather changed my plans for the afternoon drawing class.  We had to find a warm place (it wasn't!) and do indoor-type drawing. The weather prediction was for 71 degrees  -  and it was that warm  in nearby areas.  It was 53 degrees here all day!!!  We should be getting used to the low fifties, but come on  -  don't promise us seventies and then roll in the fog off the Bay that drops the temp by twenty degrees.  Who's responsible for that anyway?     The morning watercolor class stuck it out and did some great paintings.  They had no choice  -  there was nowhere to go  -  we were committed.

Here in the USA we have the Fourth of July weekend coming up!  What are your plans?   How about doing a grid of small squares in your sketchbook and recording a few of the long weekend's happenings? Only a couple of minutes of commitment at a time makes it easier to tackle.

Pansies

 

A Demonstration Page from Our Bookbinding Workshop

This was done during a sunnier, warmer week.  This week I was doing two watercolor classes and four afternoons of outdoor journaling.  It poured rain continuously!  The participants of the outdoor class were really good sports.  We met on the porch of one of the buildings in Bay View and we worked on techniques and painted things like flower pots, watering cans, color mixing, and did manage to get in a couple of Bay View scenes between storms.

It is a little too quiet here now.  The California grandkids are heading down to the Detroit airport today.  It was a wonderful visit!  The month went by all too quickly. It's so hard to see them leave. 

Moving on.  The sun is shining today.  I'm anxious to get out in the garden and see how much damage all the rain has done   -    and the deer.  I have put out repellent things and sprayed liquid fence which has probably washed away by now.  

I have a painting I should be working on, and with this sunshine, it looks like a good day to set up a little temporary studio on the back porch.  Here I go.

Take your sketchbooks someplace this weekend!

Beverly's Lunch

Painting Our Lunches at the Bookbinding/Journal Workshop

Beverly's lunch was more colorful than mine, and my salad was not conducive to a good composition.  I should have followed my instructions to the students to bring a "paintable" lunch. I thought it was okay while I was packing it, but then I saw Beverly's.  The lunch is always greener  .  .  .

Our second two day bookbinding/journal workshop was a lot of fun, and there were some beautiful journals constructed.  On the second day there were some great little watercolor sketches painted. 

The Traders Joe's green tea mints box is my newest tiny palette.  It has a see-through lid, which doesn't give me much in the way of a mixing area, but it sure is cute.  It has seven half pans in it. 

This coming week I have three new classes starting (which means six class meetings), a granddaughter's birthday party to attend, and the visiting grandchildren will return for a couple of days before they head on home to California.  But,  I'm not thinking about the "heading on home" part yet.  With three new classes starting, I am feeling just a tiny bit stressed, but as my husband says, "If you aren't a little stressed, you're not trying hard enough".

Cathy's Birdhouse

Bookbinding/Journal Workshop Demonstration

This birdhouse is in the garden of my bookbinding workshop partner, Cathy.  Someday I'll go through my sketchbooks to see how many times I have painted it over the years.  It makes a good subject for the journal painting part of our workshop.  It is a good example of how contour drawing (continuous line) can simplify a complicated subject, and how to paint colorful neutrals.

We had a fantastic group in our Monday-Tuesday workshop, and another group begins today.

We've been having so much fun with the grandkids! Things have been relatively calm  -  no more crashing through window panes.  Yesterday we took a tour through the new candy factory!  The kids are at the other grandparents for a few days.   I think I'll be okay with the quiet  -  I have to get ready for three new classes starting next week, and begin and finish a small painting.  All fun stuff, and if it weren't for deadlines, I'd probably never do a thing.  Well, maybe I would.

Modern Art in our Backyard

My Latest Art Project

Looks a little like a Calder, doesn't it?  Actually it is the collapse of our backyard canopy that we had put up for my workshop last Friday.  A little rain and wind and this is what you get.  You can do this too.

I am taking advantage of a little quiet time to finish packing up things for this week's bookbinding workshops.  My husband and our son have taken all the kids to the KOA for a camping weekend.  Friday night everyone was here and things got a little crazy - one over-turned coffee table, one lost cat who turned out not to be lost at all (the kids actually went around the neighborhood gathering up cats that looked like ours), one little hand through a pane of glass in the porch door  -  which thankfully did surprisingly little damage   -  to the hand, that is.  Of course it totaled the window pane, but who cares.  So, yeah, I'm taking advantage of this quiet time.  Also looking forward to their return.  Silly me.

Demo and Lunch

A Demo for the First Friday Kick-Off

The page on the left started out as a demonstration of negative shapes.  Someone in the class asked how I would handle this hanging basket.  I was going to show them how I would handle the negative shapes, but when I put down the positive shape of the basket, I really felt that was all I needed to "say" in the little sketch.  So the lesson turned into "try to know when you have said what you want to say, and then leave it alone".

Last night Bambi ate my orange petunias!!! Darn!  In yesterday's comments Ginny suggested a deer repellant in bags, and one of my husband's library patrons suggested a repellent that comes in (or on) stakes that you put at the corners of your garden.  I think I'll go to the garden center today and buy every repellent I can find.  We live in the city.  This is people territory, Bambi!

Early June

Painting in the Garden

A beautiful day to sit in the back yard with a friend and paint, catch up on news, laugh, look through each other's sketchbooks, and look forward to a wonderful summer of painting.  After a long gray winter, early June is SO promising!

The watercolor sketch on the right was done as a quick, ink, contour sketch.  The one on left left was drawn in pencil first, then the watercolor was added, and the ink was done last.  The sketch on the left took a lot longer to do than the one on the right, but I enjoyed getting lost in the slow deliberate process.  I usually like to do my sketchbook watercolors quickly, but there's a time and place for slow and deliberate.

The deer have been devouring  the asters in my cutting garden.  The hoof prints barely miss the other plants. I'm afraid what they don't eat will get trampled  -  although from the looks of the prints they are being careful.  Gee, thanks.

Summer Kick-Off

This is a Demo from my First Friday in June Summer Kick-Off  

Watercolor Sketchbook Journal Workshop

We had a great group  -  such fun.  The weather was fairly cooperative  -  a little bit of everything from one extreme to the other, but not bad.  From past experience, I think I can accurately say that the first Friday in June is always QUIRKY.

This page in my sketchbook is showing how to just let the colors mix on the paper without mixing on the palette at all.  When working with a very small palette, sometimes we run out of space for mixing and may not have extra water for cleaning off the palette.  So besides giving interesting and pleasing results, mixing on the paper is convenient.  I was using very basic colors  -  ultramarine blue, hansa yellow, quinacridone red and a little manganese blue and cobalt violet.  There is a little bit of a learning curve to figure out how to have enough water to let the pigments float around and mix without flooding the sketchbook page.

So here we go  -  that was the Kick-Off  -  the beginning of a very busy summer full of classes and workshops.  I am soooo looking forward to it.

At the top of this blog there is a tab that links to my classes.

Orange Orange Orange

Ink and Colored Pencil on Strathmore Drawing Paper in my 
Hand Bound Sketchbook

I'm done.  Colored pencil is just too labor intensive for me.  Every time I use acrylics or colored pencil, I remember what it is about watercolor that I love so much  - you swoop through with a brush load of color and there, you've got it. It's the swooping.

I happen to be a pretty big fan of orange, and I have never come across orange geraniums or petunias until this year.  The Calendula is actually my favorite shade of orange, but I'm pretty crazy about the others too.

Starting on the left, I worked my way across the page doing a contour (continuous line) drawing.  I really don't know the techniques of working with colored pencils, but since this is my journal sketchbook - no masterpieces allowed - I'm not worried about technique.  

There's a long weekend coming up.  I hope you find time to have some fun with your sketchbook. 

Oregano

A Pot of Oregano and Some Planning

I wanted to do a quick little sketch of this bright pot before I planted it.  I know it's better off in the garden, but it sure was cute in its bright red container.

This past weekend we did a lot of yard work and the weather was great. It's in the 40s today.  We built some raised garden beds for my cutting garden and a small herb garden.  I did a ton of weeding, "staked out" my birdhouses (shown in the previous post), planted my perennial herbs, bought a truck load of garden soil .  .  .

I'm  getting things crossed off my summer to-do list.This morning I went over to the Terrace Inn and we planned the second annual "Afternoon Tea" with watercolor journaling.  The place is beautiful, the food is delicious (and pretty!), the service is wonderful, and we all take just a few art supplies and paint up a storm.  I will be posting the details very soon.

Now I think I'll go paint my ORANGE petunias.  I know, a purist would say petunias shouldn't be orange, but I say Wow! - fun! - orange petunias!  Just don't be altering my food!

Birdhouses

Colorful Little Birdhouses

What fun  -  I got to paint them twice.  Once to really, you know, paint them, and then illustrate them in my sketchbook.  They were a dollar apiece.  That's pretty cheap entertainment. And see, they gave me something to blog about to make up for the previous post's glass of water.
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I may put them on the fence  -  maybe the side of the garage  -  or maybe plant them in the garden on a stake.  Maybe that's a little tacky, but .  .  .

It's raining again and in the 40s.  I am craving sunshine and color!!!  I keep plugging away at my to-do list, getting ready for summer, and those birdhouses were actually on my to-do list.  I have a fun list, don't I?

Jesperson's

 Lunch at Jesperson's

I know.  You'd think I would have more than a glass of water to show for all this time of non-blogging.

In class this week we worked on small still life compositions.  Everyone was feeling a little "off".  I'm blaming it on the barometric pressure or the thunder storm.  We were all talking about how much we enjoy a good ol' Michigan thunderstorm  - however, it struck a house down the street and started a small fire, and across the Bay it actually hit our granddaughter's classroom!!! No one was hurt, but it knocked a small hole right through the cinder block wall!

Next week we will get back to the small still life compositions. The whole idea is to zoom in, zoom out, zoom left, zoom right . . . keep them simple with strong shapes and values.  Maybe I will set a time limit  -  if we can't fuss with it, we do a better job.  If there isn't a raging storm, we can concentrate on the composition.  But we are a bunch of artists  -  we really do enjoy a good distraction.

Giorgio's

Giorgio's Salt and Red Pepper Shakers

Giorgio's in San Jose is a California tradition with us.  We make it a point to walk down there with the family for dinner once during our visit.  We went on a Tuesday night, and it was very crowded and very noisy, and the food was wonderful.  I had risotto with baked salmon.  Risotto was another first for me.  I am not a picky eater, so how could I have missed risotto, salade Nicoise, and tiramisu  -  all firsts on this trip.

It is in the thirties here in northern Michigan today.  I am getting things ready for a new class to start tomorrow,  and we are going to be working with various ways of mixing color.  I HAD to have some colorful flowers, so I made a trip to the greenhouse  -  the first of the season  -  if you can call this a season.  It is way too early to buy annuals, but I bought some pansies and primrose  -  they'll do okay in the cold.

Getting ready for a new class gets me grounded after a vacation.  I have so much trouble with re-entry.  I always blame it on jet lag and use it to my advantage for awhile, but I think my time is up.

View from "Cherry Park"

Purple-blue Mountains 

As the sun moves, the colors of the mountain ranges change from bright green to blue gray to purple.  The tall palms are so huge and oddly shaped, they're almost comical.  I'm a mid-west girl  -  these trees and mountains are a novelty to me.

I did this sketch about a week ago, and now I am missing the sunshine and warmer temperatures of California.    We have no leaves yet in northern Michigan, but the grass is very green today. The Bay is very blue  -  ultramarine blue. It is only 45 degrees.  This might be a good day to go to the green house.  I need some of that warm dirt smell.

Menlo Park, CA

 Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park, California

We met a Michigan summer friend at the most beautiful place  -  Allied Arts Guild.  The gardens were gorgeous, the cafe was charming, the food was delicious, and it was such fun to catch up with a Michigan friend in California.  Wisteria, roses, and everything else are blooming here.

Lunch was fantastic.  I had salade niciose with baked salmon and tiramisu  -  both a first for me.  Where have I been, huh?

That evening we went to the elementary school science fair where our granddaughter took first place for the fifth grade.  What a treat for us to be there for the award ceremony.

All in all, a great day. 

If you are in the area of Menlo Park (very near Palo Alto), it is a perfect place to take your watercolor journal.  Is this too far for my Michigan classes to take a road trip? No, I don't think so.

At the Cabin

Still Life at the Cabin

Snow, sleet, and rain all weekend. It was fun to be SO lazy and cozy. Now we are back in the city and the sun is shining. We can still be lazy.

 I want to find a good bunch of calla lilies to sketch.  It would be nice to find some near the street so I don't have to be too intrusive  -  but no one seemed to care that the homeless guy was sleeping (?) in a yard, and I think I look pretty harmless (not homeless) with a sketchbook.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter from Viola, California

It's just a little cold and snowy here.  Really  -  it's a lot cold and snowy here.  We are having the perfect holiday "cabin weekend".  Looking outside, we are just not sure which holiday it is!

We really are having a great time  -  reading, cooking, eating, playing games, decorating eggs, hiding eggs, sketching and painting, drinking cinnamon tea, and watching the snow fall.  It's wonderful!

Viola is in Northern California in the Redding/Mt Lassen area.  It is just beautiful here, and the family togetherness is soooo nice!  If you're having a warm and sunny Easter, don't feel sorry for us  -  we made a conscious choice to come here.

Chi Latte

 A Chi Latte and Other Crazy Stuff

From San Jose, California - 
To those of you back at home  -  I may just stay here.  I think I like this life.  This kind of stuff just doesn't happen at home in Northern Michigan  -  not all within a few minutes anyway.

I mean, how many times, at home, have I been sitting on the corner, drinking a chi latte at Starbucks (NEVER) and had a dog sitting next to me actually BITE two people?  It bit the Starbucks guy on the hand, and then when the mail man walked through, it bit him on the leg.  I was afraid to get up to leave  -  I let the dog leave first.

Two guys a couple of tables over were arguing about who was going to take the blame for something.  The louder one, naturally, had nothing to hide and the other one would have to take the blame.  The dog didn't pay any attention to them.

The homeless guy I saw wandering around the neighborhood was curled up on a beautifully manicured front lawn, right at the edge of the sidewalk. Sleeping?



And . . . there is bird banging his head against the living room window for days on end now.

Ya can't make this stuff up.

Down by the River

Sketching by the Bear River

We had a nice, warm, sunny day this week ~ perfect for taking watercolor journals out to paint. I started a new journal, which, for some reason, is always fun.

Today the wind is blowing and it is pretty cold.  I am inside working on some more class and workshop ideas for the summer.  I have posted my spring and summer classes ~ click on the "Classes and Workshops" tab at the top of the blog, just under the banner.  I plan to be adding more as the dates are firmed up.

 Click on the image to enlarge  -  I know you are just dying to see this thing.

 Here is a pic of the finished model of a McCormick reaper (that I mentioned back on March 2nd) that our 13 year old grandson had to make of things found around his house - or my studio.  To give you an idea of the scale, the black wheel is the cap from a gallon jug. Along with the model, his presentation, and period costume, he earned 205 points out of a possible 200.  My reward was a couple of fun days working with him on this.  I am so glad I get asked to do this fun stuff  ~  no one ever asks me to help with math.  Being horrible at math really pays off now.

Crocus

 My first Flower Sketch of the Season

It was nice and sunny and warm, and I found this crocus blooming in the yard.  As I began my sketch, the sun started to go behind a cloud, and the crocus slowly closed.  I didn't know they did that!  So this was a very fast contour drawing and a quick splash of color. 

A couple of days ago I played around with the fonts on my blog, and today the ones I had applied are gone.  Okay.  I'm not going to play with that anymore.  The next time I look they may be back.  I just don't care.

This is the last page of this sketchbook.  The next one is a different shape  -  more square  -  and I am kind of anxious to try it out.  A new season, a new sketchbook.  Fun.

The Process

 

Class Demo

This demonstration was to show the process I use to get from, in this case, a photograph to a finished painting.  The top image shows the photograph I was using as reference. In the pencil sketch below that,  I have sketched things pretty much as is   -  because I have to start somewhere. I'm keeping in mind the reason that I have chosen to paint this subject  -  the cluster of buildings and their rooftops, and the lights and darks of the sunlight and cast shadows.

The porches and roof lines on the left really complicate things and don't do anything to support my reasons for painting this.  So I play around a little with removing the jumble of shapes on the left, and move on to a value sketch (figuring out my lights and darks) which is shown in the lower right of the top image.  This is what I use as reference as I paint.  I don't refer to the photograph again. 

Eliminating some of the porches and roof lines has changed the "reality", but what I wanted was the "feeling" of the roof tops and shadows.  This would never make it as a commission or a rendering of the actual scene, but we all have artistic license, you know, and we should use it.  It's fun!

Value sketches can be done very small  -  a couple of inches square with no detail - just shapes to show light, middle and  dark values.  If you make them small enough and simple enough, you can do lots of them in a short time to play around with all kinds of combinations of lights and darks until you hit on the one you like.   Once you've planned your lights and darks, your painting is half done.  The process is pretty painless.

Lunch at Turkeys

Yet Another Lunch.  Yet Another Set of Salt and Pepper Shakers

I am always  quick to say, "Oh, I never eat out."  Looking back through this almost completed sketchbook at the salt shaker sketches,  maybe I DO eat out more than I thought.  My sister-in-law saw I was nearly finished with this sketchbook and she said, "Have you eaten your way through that whole sketchbook?!"

I am surprised at the variety of salt shakers in restaurants.  How many restaurant supply places are there, and how many different styles could they have?  At first glance you might think they are all alike, but when you start drawing them, you begin to notice the differences.

I suppose I could spend my time observing something  - um -important?  Educational? Challenging?  Useful?

Small Painting - Keeping it Simple

Small Watercolor Demo

Somewhere along the line, I have painted from this value sketch and posted it, but I can't find it to link to it, to compare the two. 

In Wednesday's class we were talking about why we are attracted to a subject, keeping that in mind, and showing that as simply as possible.  In this case I had taken the photograph (years ago) because of the shadows and the simple shapes of the porch and its roof lines. This was a section of a much larger house, but for the sake of simplicity I had chosen to paint this section as a small house.  I didn't feel I needed the rest of the structure to support the simple shapes and shadows.

I "swooped" through with a mixture of manganese blue and a touch of cobalt violet, painting everything that would not be left white, or that I wanted to keep very bright.  As I started putting in the dark green foliage, the fence just kind of painted itself, so I went with it.  I put in the dark shadows along the roof lines and in the porch with manganese blue and cobalt violet again, with some indigo added to get as dark as it needed to be.  I had left the areas on each side of the steps white so I would be able to get in some bright flowers.  I added a washed out warm color for the roof, some neutrals smushed around in the foreground, and that was it.

It moved along from start to finish pretty quickly, and I feel I captured what attracted me in the first place.

If you have some photographs around that you have taken with the thought of someday doing a painting of them, this is a good time of year to get them out and play around with them  -  while we are waiting to get outside and paint.  Take a good look at them, decide what it was you liked about the subject, and paint THAT, and only that.

It was 11 degrees here this morning!!!!

Salt Shaker and Mustard

Another Salt Shaker and a Bottle of Mustard.

At the Mitchell Street Pub

We could use a little color here today  -  it is DARK.  It is officially spring now, so sooner or later we're gonna be okay.

Last week I started to get classes, promotions, lessons, events, etc. organized for spring and summer.  The only (probably not the "only") problem is, we had a weekend thrown in there, and it doesn't take much to get me off track.  Actually, I planned to be off track.  I didn't intend to work on it over the weekend, but it always surprises me how much I forget from Friday to Monday.  I use Google docs to keep track of EVERYTHING.  However I spend a lot of time going through everything because I don't remember what "docs" contain what.  Oh.  I think I get it. On the sidebar there is information referring to each document.  Mmmmmm  -  has that always been there?

Saturday night we went with my brother and sister-in-law to the Mitchell Street Pub for dinner - downtown just a few blocks from us. I honestly don't think a thing has changed on the menu in twenty years.  That's a good thing  -  we need consistency in some things.  It was a nice cozy place to sit and talk.  Everyone has left town.  Seriously.  No one comes to Northern Michigan the end of March through April, and a LOT of the residents leave.  If you want to get away from it all, have all the restaurants and grocery stores to yourselves,  and find a parking place anywhere  -  this is the place.

Our 13 year old grandson came over yesterday afternoon for help with a school project.  He has to build a model of the McCormick Reaper!  Are you kidding???!!!  Is this what happens when they get past the poster paint and glitter stage?  Well, no,  he never did do glitter.  But, really  -  we have to build a reaper from things around the house!!!???  Any suggestions?

Pencil Sketches

Thumbnail Sketches on Steroids

I pulled a handful of random photographs to do some thumbnail sketches. These were intended to be small value sketches  -  just planning shapes and lights and darks.

I hadn't done drawing just for the sake of drawing in a long time, and I got a little carried away with the size and complexity.  Such fun!  These aren't necessarily the value (darks and lights) patterns I would use if I were to do a painting of these subjects  -  the whole idea of doing thumbnails is to give you several choices with the composition and values.

Drawing from photos is not my favorite, but there are lessons to be learned from every attempt at drawing and figuring out what's what.  Besides  -  it's all fun.

Color mixing

Clay Pots

This was Thursday's class demo.  We were mixing terracotta colors on the paper. We're thinking spring and summer here  -  have to be ready to paint flowers and pots.

We were using different variations of the primary colors  -  reds, yellows, and blues.  Some were allowed to mix on the paper, some were mixed on the palette, some wet into wet and some on dry paper.

I used to paint these pots of flowers by the hundreds and sell them matted up in 10 X 10 white mats. They are fun to do, because no two are ever alike.  This kind of makes me want to do them again.

It is snowing here and overcast.  A couple of grandkids are making forts under my classroom/studio tables, so it is bright and cheery inside.  The Christmas carols they're singing are kind of getting to me, but I'll keep my mouth shut.

New Journal

A New Journal and More Thumbnails

I am so into doing little thumbnail sketches right now.  When I've had enough of that, I'll start painting with a vengeance.

Yesterday my friend, Ellie, was trying out Yupo for the first time.   I wrote her comment on my sketchbook page. "It almost gives you the freedom you desire."  Pretty profound for painting on plastic, huh?  No, I'm not pushing Yupo  -  not a huge fan.

This is my newest journal, on the left. It is a different size this time.  I started out making them kind of square, and I liked that.  However, I do like to make them in a size that doesn't waste any of the 22 X 30 sheets of Aquarius II watercolor paper.  It dawned on me that this 5 1/2 by 6 size would work.

So if we have all this fresh, new, fluffy snow this morning  -  why doesn't it feel FRESH?

Composition

What Goes Where

I was playing around a little bit with composition.  I just grabbed a photograph out of my photo reference  (reference photo?) box and simplified and rearranged some of the objects.  We need to remember that photos are only a starting point and no more.  If I'm working from a photo I usually work out the composition and a value sketch, and don't look at the photo for reference as I paint.

The pencil sketches are some things we were working on in class.  I was trying to stress the fact that objects take up space, and the placement they are given on the page, or painting surface, has to reflect the volume of the object.  Drawing objects as transparent helps us to see how much space they really need.

There is no serious painting going on here. As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm just kind of puttering around, reading some art books, going over old lesson plans, and Friday I did make a text block for my next journal.

Now it is time to get serious with spring and summer class promotion.  We have had some sunshine here now and then.  That helps.  The Bay is frozen solid.  That doesn't help.

More Orchid Studies

Orchid Blossoms in Pencil (left) and Watercolor and Ink (right)

I'm loving the way orchid blossom petals fit together, and how subtle the shadows have to be to keep them white, but still show the gentle curves.  Fun.

In my state of "unmotivation", I can't seem to complete anything serious - anything larger than a sketchbook page.  So I guess I'll just stick to my sketchbook for awhile.

Now I am off to set up a still life for my afternoon class.  We will be working on simplicity and draped fabrics.  I even ironed the fabrics!

Orchid

Orchid 

Sketched in pen and Prismacolor colored pencil on Strathmore 400 Drawing Paper in my hand bound sketchbook.

Yesterday one of my students brought me a BEAUTIFUL orchid!!!  We had fun painting it in class, and last night I did this contour drawing.  You can see the patch on the right side of the drawing where I glued a piece of drawing paper over a botched try at that blossom.   I've had people ask if it's okay  (ethical) to patch, cut out, rip out, whatever, something you don't like in your sketchbook.  Yeah, of course.  Unlike life, you don't have to live with your mistakes in your art world.

I have been terribly unmotivated lately.  I have tried to turn this unproductive time into something positive, so I have been going through old sketchbooks, scraps of painting demos, and lesson plans written on pieces of paper here and there.  Organizing and sorting  gets me geared up for the next round of painting and upcoming classes and workshops.

Life is not maintenance free, and sometimes I have to look back at what I have done in order to figure out what I need to do  -  or want to do.  But what I want to do today is sketch that orchid some more. 

Tomato Gorgonzola Soup Recipe

Marj has posted her recipe for tomato basil Gorgonzola soup on her blog.  Just click on it to enlarge.  I just made it and it is yummy!  Thanks, Marj.  While you're there, check out her happy and colorful watercolors.

Salt and Pepper Shakers at Applebee's 

I thought I might paint my dinner, but I ordered a messy looking, delicious  salad, and we had to hurry to make the 7:00 show. We saw The King's Speech.  Great movie. And it was ladies' night  -  $4.25!

Today in class we worked on loosening up and letting the painting paint itself.  We painted with clear water and then put in color.  Even though it was a simple geranium stem and blossom on a small piece of paper, it is still hard to relinquish control and let it happen. Watercolor on its own usually does better than I do, so I try to stand back and see what happens.

Sooooo cold here.  The wind is blowing, the Bay is frozen, the sky is gray.  Every year I complain about the cold, but I'm not going anywhere.  I like the slow pace of winter here  -  then I like the fast pace of summer.   Perfect.

Tomato Basil Gorganzola

Taking My Sketchbook to Lunch Again

Tomato Basil Gorgonzola soup.  Wednesday's special  -  I love it!!!!
It's a good day for soup with friends.  It is very sunny and very cold here.  While the rest of the country (a good portion of it, anyway) experiences terrible blizzards, we have blue skies and sunshine. 


If anyone comes across a great tomato basil Gorgonzola soup recipe, would you let me know?  If you make it, paint it  -  it's a great color.

Painting from Photographs

  The Old Lansing City Market

This is a demonstration I started in class, and they asked if I could finish it next week, but I don't think I can keep my hands off it.  I could hide it so I am not tempted.  Kind of like sending the potato chips to work in the trunk of my husband's car.

I'm working from a photograph that I took a couple of years ago before they tore the old (beautiful  -  to me) buildings down and rebuilt. With the photograph as reference I did a contour sketch including only the things I felt were necessary to say what I want to say about this particular scene.  I scanned the sketch, enlarged it, printed it out and traced it onto my watercolor paper.

I'm using the sketch as my reference now, not the photograph.  I have pretty much blocked in my lights and darks, and those are more important to me than the colors.  At this point, the photograph has more information than I want.

It's Friday already!  Who has some sketching plans for the weekend?

Another Salt Shaker

Salt Shaker at the "Sugar Bowl" Restaurant

A few posts back  Michelle asked what the five colors are in my little palette.  The palette pictured here is my seven color palette. I use a very limited palette anyway, so using only five or seven is not a big deal.  Here I have cobalt violet, quinacridone rose, ultramarine blue, hansa yellow, manganese blue, thalo yellow-green, and thalo green yellow shade.  If I were to suggest a very basic palette for sketchbook journal painting, I would say ultramarine blue, lemon yellow, quinacridone rose (or permanent rose), hookers green, and burnt sienna.

Do you find it odd that I am discussing color along with this image using one color?  I do too.

Green Paint Chips and My Favorite Chair

Green Paint Chips and a Pencil Sketch

This is a sketch of my favorite chair in the world.  It is glossy black, slender looking and sculptural.  She (don't you think it's a girl?) had been in my family before I could remember  -  so long, in fact, that no one could remember what branch of the family she had belonged to, or how old she might be.  Just a few years ago, I came across a picture of my father, about seven years old, posing for the picture on this chair - maybe about 1924.  Back in the 60s I painted it glossy black, made a pink and orange striped cushion, and glued hot pink ball fringe along the edge of the seat.  It was great.

It is COLD COLD COLD here today  -  in the low teens.  It has finally reached 65 degrees in the house and I am wearing several layers  -  and a down vest and wool scarf!  Maybe if I did something active  .  .  .

I am sitting around reading a book about painting figures, sketching the chair, and making notes about painting with, and mixing, greens.  That "fear of orange" comment a few posts back triggered something in my brain about painting greens.  Makes sense, doesn't it?

For anyone reading this who has been in one of my drawing classes, you might be glad to know that I STRUGGLED with this drawing today.

Coffee Table Pencil Sketch

 not TOO serious

Feeling the urge/need/desire/obligation to do a halfway serious drawing, instead of the cartoon-like contour drawings I have been doing, I challenged myself with the foreshortening of this table.  The top book and bowl got a little floaty, but oh well.

We have a winter advisory warning here this afternoon.  It's a nice day to be working on sketches and lesson plans for my new classes starting this week.  This week we are going to be working on breaking up shapes to keep things interesting and, at the same time, cohesive.   We'll be breaking them up with lines, softened edges, variations in value, additional shapes .  .  . Fun stuff.  Stay tuned.

Still Life Shelf and a New Plan of Attack

Contour Drawing of Classroom Shelf

This is a small painting of about half of the high shelf that runs the length of one wall in my classroom. I keep my still life props here.  The walls really are orange  -  I know  -  very inappropriate for a studio/classroom.   It makes us happy, okay?

I'm still going through a stack of papers that I piled up as I weeded out things a couple of weeks ago.  Some of the things are inspiring, some are loose ends, some just need to be filed, and some could really just be tossed.  The problem is I never get to the bottom as I sort, so it all gets stacked up again if I get interrupted.  So, I see something here  -  the organized way of sorting into categories of action is not working for me.  Now I am going to take one paper at a time and do whatever needs to be done with that paper, right then and there.  Okay, we'll see how this new plan of attack works out.

Drawing Table

A Very Quick Contour Drawing of my Drawing Table

Trying to pay attention to the negative spaces  -  the spaces between things.

This drawing looks as if I wasn't paying much attention to anything, but, hey, there is a lot going on with this table.

I decided to paint my drawing table semi-gloss black, and I love it.  It was a little tricky because there are a LOT of pieces to it, and I was afraid if I took it apart, I wouldn't get it back together.  So, I took off one part at a time and didn't paint its corresponding part until it was painted and replaced. Yeah, I know, a little nutty and time consuming, but it worked.

Tonight we are attending Middle Granddaughter's Christmas program at school.  That's what I love about living in snowy northern Michigan  -  you never know when a scheduled event will actually take place.  Cancellations because of weather definitely keep things interesting.

Are you sketching?